The CSB Experience: La Noche Solidaridad De Frosh Dela Colegio De San Benildo

    Well, it's a night of the most unforgetable series of events that I have ever expericed. Little have I knew that star-gazing is part of the Benildean curriculum. Although I'm perfectly aware that there are famous personalities who attend at CSb (there's lots more who are all enrolled at La Salle U, State U and the Ateneo)

    June the 9th, everybody are all perfectly aware of the upcoming Frosh Solidarity Night. Many of the froshes (sorry I feel "froshes" is more suitable than "froshies" to say since it's sound more proper) already had their tickets given to them for free. I was expecting some big event so I brought my mom's digital camera so as not to let myself out on this event.

    The morning before, our adviser for ORDEV-A (Order and Development of Values-A) gave us yellow forms for which we are required to have at least three events that are Ordev-accredited events signed so as to ace this subject and move on to Ordev-B next term. Since I was th e class president (waah), I was given the task to collect these form and eventually giving them all out before the Frosh Night. My blockmate, Dino, was not in class that morning, so  I was pretty much surprised that he wasn't able to get a copy.

It was already a minute passed six in the evening when our professor in NATSCA1 (Human Factors in Design) dismissed us. I have to give out their yellow forms so I told to them to not exit the classroom so I can give them their forms. However, many didn't listen and I was left calling their names outside at the hall to make them come back. Two of my constituents, Jason and Jonathan, had already left and I don't know how to look since I have the grueling task to get a copy of the yellow form for Dino (curse the mandate given to me!). I Asked my blockmates if any of them are Smart subscribers since Jonthan is one. Paul, in good grace, is one and I was able to have him text Jon so that Jason and he could get their copies. However, no word came from the two eventually. Since, many are already lining up in front of the CSB theater where the Frosh Night si to be held, I accompanied Dino abd found our way to the Office of Student Affairs located at Solomon Hall. We received a copy of the yellow form and made our way back to the CSB thater. There were several lines made of of froshes (I can't tell if there are upperclassmen lining up too), all according to the alpahbetical order of their names. At the line which covers my last name, I gave my ticket with my student # written at its back and my yellow form which will returned to me on the 13th.

Once I got inside the theater, it's not yet full but the influx of the froshes made go at the front so for me to see all the action onstage. The event already started with the opening act made by a Bandang Lasalista from across Taft Avenue, then the Footworx (?) team made a collaborative dance number cum FIRST DAY HIGH and TARA LETS.

    Next were a number of bands, starting with PInikpikan. This band I have already heard of during my Frosh orientation. It is a band where its members make use of Filipino folk instruments as well as traditional Western ones. The way they make music is a fusion of ethnic Pinoy and modernism, the product beinga  unique blend of sorts. One song that got stuvck in my mind are the words "Ungga ungga aya aya". Their lead vocalist, which is a femme fatale, makes a good belly dancer and has one of the three main host tagging along with her.

The next set of bands made me like "HUH?! WHAT THE HOW!?".  My mouth went open when the hostess suddenly called out the name of the next band: ITCHYWORMS!!! I was really like "HUH?! WHAT THE HOW?!". It's really them in the flesh so I was really surprised when their drummer appeared before the eyes of the audience. Then the rest of the band appeared and began to play two of their hit songs, "Beer" and "Loveteam".

Before the next band would follow, a game was held. The three main hosts ( A CDA major, a Fashion Design Major, and a corporate attired-HRIM major) said it's drinking contest, five froshes were called: one is an over-enthusiastic frosh, one is a cool-headed frosh, one is a maarte-looking frosh, one is a mostly-likely-not-the-one type of frosh, and last is a one is a underdog kind of a frosh. These 5 would be drinking cans of Cali and the one with most cans drank would be declared the winner. The last one I mentioned was proclaimed the winner was the underdog with six cans of Cali, followed by the cool-headed frosh with 5 cans, the over enthusiastic frosh with three cans, and the last two with two cans each.


Next band is something of an in-between metallic and pop-rock band. Their vocalist is a former MTV VJ who was not rehired by ALL YOUTH INC for MTV Pilipinas' relaunch as a cable channel. The drummer is a happy go lucky loking bg guy with an Anglo accent. The guiatrist looks like a slight imiation of the drummer and the bassist looks like the guiatrist from SPONGECOLA. What am I talkintg about? Well, it's KJWAN!!! And their vocalist is no other than the very MARC ABAYA! Well, his way of singing is comparable to the styles of Bamboo Manalac and Raimund Marasigan although Marc's way is more gruesome (not gory gruesome but deoxyribose nucleic acid gruesome).They sang three familiar songs, one is their MYX-nominated piece, one is the theme song of Red Horse's Musiklaband rock contest, and one is their latest single where their music video shows them as kids posing for them. Their music is the rockiest among the most rock acts that night. One moment I remebered that he makes slobber over the mike he's using (talk about ewww...), next thing, he sucks his finger like the way we suck lollipops (that makes it double), and for one last act, he drank a bottle fo water that was left half-full and had the rest of it rained over the people in front of the stage, including me (I felt something like this will happen). Oh yeah, he wal already sweating, and with people taking pics of the one and only Marc Abaya (including this sucker of a writer), he did a pose which shows the full glory of being a man (see that pic on J-Pics).
 
The band followed was an upcoming band. I thought it was the Bloomfields (or Bloomfelds, whatever) since the drummer there was a former Lasalista from La Salle taft who transferred to CSB. but it was rather a neophyte band (sorry but although they looked kinda familiar like as if they were on Studio 23's BREAKFAST). Good thing they have some fans who know the lrics of their songs.

Next band, I'll let you guess who they are: it has something to do with the word CALI. Well, according to the two hosts and a hostess (hoy, don't you make 'hostess' a negative word, it is us Pinoys that made that word notorious) said that from CALI, the next band is...........................................CALLA LILY!!!

    Girls around me were screaming right and left, from top to bottom. The curtains went out and so the four Thomasians and a Tamaraw began to swoon over the froshes with two of their hit songs. Good thing I recorded their last song (plus that of the Itchyworms) using my digicam.

Well, the "boring" part of the night would be the Fashion Show with some of us playing as models running at the runway, where for one night their IN, he next morning their OUT.

Then last would be the nonstop Benildo club myx musix played by none other than a "world-class DJ" who happens to be a Benildean. His name, according to the 2 hosts and a hostess. He played house music and brought the whole theatre upside down, Froshes were invited to dance at the stage.

It was already past nine, my parenst are waiting for me outside so I went off. At the exit, there was a hussle outside the Theater but eventually I got through. yah, I saw Liana and Ace going out. On the fourth floor, I went to a nearby vending machine to buy a can of coke. With a 20-peso bill, i  was slowly puting it on that thingamajig of the vendor but Ace's hand swiped the 20-peso bill away from me, grrr...

Well, the batteries of my digicam went almost exhausted but I was able to get enough of its energy for the whole frosh night. hah, well, i expect the next one to be  the same as this although, I have to pay for the ticket. See you for now.